Google is testing a new AI tool in YouTube Music, allowing users to generate custom radio stations using prompts. Currently available to a limited audience, this feature was first identified by Reddit user kater_pro. The AI functionality aims to tailor music recommendations to user preferences.
Interface and Operation
This feature is accessible via an “Ask for music any way you like” card in the Home feed. When selected, it opens a chat-style interface where users can input prompts through voice or text. The interface mentions that AI-generated suggestions are experimental and advises users not to share sensitive information.
Suggested prompts appear in a double-line carousel, with options like “Catchy pop choruses,” “Epic soundtracks,” “Upbeat pop anthems,” and “Moscow rock scene.” There is also a “Surprise me!” option to automatically create a station. Once a prompt is submitted, YouTube Music generates a radio station and displays it in the playlist card format, with names and descriptions based on the prompt.
User Experience
For instance, a prompt such as “Queer Hip Hop Beats” results in a station described as “Rhymes and flows from the heart, a celebration of queer pride in hip hop’s art.” Users can play or pause the first three songs, save them to their library, and access additional options through an overflow menu. This feature aims to provide a more customized listening experience by leveraging generative AI.
Google’s addition of this AI functionality is part of a wider strategy to incorporate AI into its services. By offering these tailored music suggestions, YouTube Music seeks to differentiate itself from competitors like Spotify and Apple Music, both of which also utilize AI for music curation.
Broader AI Implementations
Google is integrating AI into YouTube in various ways. For example, the recently revealed Erase Song feature introduces an algorithm that allows content creators to remove copyrighted music from their videos. Last week, YouTube updated its privacy documentation to allow people to request removal of content that uses AI to replicate their voice or likeness.
Google is also negotiating with major record labels, which could potentially give YouTube access to songs to train AI. These discussions with record labels aim to enable the cloning of additional artists, broadening its AI tools beyond the initial Dream Track feature, which involved only ten musicians.
Last Updated on November 7, 2024 3:40 pm CET